Fresh Healthy Vending Growing Quickly Despite Gloomy Nationwide Obesity Rates
Nationwide Obesity Rates Are on the Rise
CDC Study Shows Obesity Rate Is 30% or Higher in 12 States
WebMD Health News Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
Despite a steady drumbeat of warnings that obesity causes serious health problems and increases the risk of premature death, it has become a problem in every state, the CDC says in a new report.
What is more, obesity prevalence was 30% or higher in 12 states in 2010, compared to nine states in 2009. In 2000, no states had obesity rates that high.
Tips for Kids Healthy Eating
When it comes to weight, it is a sensitive issue when it comes to teenagers; it is something that is hard to broach. It is hard to deal for parents on how to let their kids know what they want to tell them, without making them feel bad about their size and weight; excessive anxiety may lead to anorexia or bulimia.
The shift of making the kids choose eating healthy snacks than junk foods is not instant. You cannot simply drag them to a fresh vending machine and ask them to eat this and that, without making them feel bad. It would be much wiser if you start by talking to your kids about healthy food choices, the good effects contrary to the bad effects of junk foods in terms of health. Before going out, it would be better if you will make a deal with them that you will try the foods from a fresh healthy vending machine rather than regular vending machines. It will give them a good amount of excitement to try healthy snacks and feel good about themselves.
Catholic Schools in the USA Commends the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
President Barrack Obama found an ally with the Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) after signing the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Unlike other organization doubtful of the said bill, CCUSA lauded the bill last week because it will improve the quality of meals sold in schools and vending machines will strengthen nutrition programs serving young children across the nation. We have been looking for healthier vending options for some time and now this bill will now push private and religious base schools to keep step with federal guidelines.
Healthier Snacks and Exercise in Schools
As more schools become aware of the importance of a fresh healthy vending machine in encouraging students to eat healthy foods and become more active, most of them eliminate sodas from their vending machine and replace them with fresh healthy vending options. It is a good thing that schools where kids usually spend every day of their life have become involve in the fight against obesity, acknowledging how important exercise and healthy eating habits and choices to a child’s health.
New School Programs That Aim To Combat Childhood Obesity
It was on the first quarter of 2010 when First Lady Michelle Obama announces the ambitious national goal of resolving the epidemic of child obesity in America. The campaign is called “Let’s Move” and it aims to provide schools, families and communities simple tools to help kids be more active, eat better, and get healthy. Since then, several other healthy campaigns from various sectors followed across all states. And before the year ended, President Obama enacted into law a new nutrition bill – Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act 2010 – that would help improve the quality of foods served in schools.
Another noteworthy event that happened in line with Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign was the launching of Fresh Healthy Vending a healthy snacks vending franchise offering where most of the healthy vending machines are placed in schools and in locations where children spend time after school like YMCAs.
Healthy Vending Coming to Schools
The new school lunch law that President Obama started is a good start, but fact still remain that healthy eating begins at home.
Unlike the latest tax compromise, the law Healthy, hunger free kids for President Obama will not sink down in history. This bill is for children, it requires healthy foods being serve in schools whether it is from the canteen or in the vending machines.
School Nutrition Programs Welcomes Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
Local schools have been struggling to improve their feeding program to students for years. With increasing rate in obesity, educational institutions are enjoined to provide healthy meals for students; however, it is a given fact that serving nutritious food in school cafeterias and vending machines entails higher costs. And with the passage of the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act, school nutrition programs are expected to benefit from it.
The biggest boost in the school’s nutrition programs is the increase in the amount of money to be given to the National School Lunch Program. The districts will get about 6-cents increased per child, a welcome relief from the federal government in 30 years. The Department of Agriculture will oversee the administration of the bill and will be responsible for crafting new school nutrition standards.
Childhood Obesity As A National Security Threat
When First Lady Michelle Obama launched her Let’s Move program she described childhood obesity as a national security threat. “A recent study put the health care cost of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion a year,” Mrs. Obama said. “This epidemic also impacts the nation’s security, as obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.”
The statement happened at a ceremony at the White House during the launching of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign which was attended by many officials of the President’s cabinet. And on December 2010, a few days before ushering the New Year, a new nutrition bill was signed into law by President Barack Obama to promote better eating habits among children.
Kids’ Healthy Eating May Open Doors to Healthy Careers
ProStart is a national, career-building program for high school students who are interested in culinary arts and restaurant and foodservice management. It offers a two-year career-building program where high school students study in the classroom, participate in mentored work experiences, and test their skills in local and national competitions.
In Maryland, the ProStart curriculum is taught to about 4,500 students in 92 schools. Nationwide, over 83,000 students in 47 states are involved in the program that focuses on front- and back-of-the-house restaurant operations.
“Basic home economics takes a look at food from inside a house,” said LeDeana Wentzel, director of workforce development at RAMEF. “ProStart looks at it from the outside and what you’d look at from a restaurant perspective.” That includes costs associated with individual servings, nutrition and presentation.
Healthy Lifestyle in Children Can Prevent Future Heart Disease
In the study, 539 young adults had cholesterol and triglycerides levels measured when they were 9, 12 or 15 years in 1985 which served as the baseline. Participants were tested again after an average of 20 years of follow up. Many children who were “high risk” at baseline were no longer high risk at follow-up when they reached adulthood. Those children who were obese and continued smoking and having unhealthy lifestyles were among the most likely to have high blood cholesterol and elevated risk status. Suzanne Steinbaum, MD, a preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association said that the new study results are “extraordinarily empowering” because parents can now control the diseases that might affect their children in the future. It is like making lifestyle changes, not smoking and watching their weight can prevent heart diseases when they reach adulthood.